Public Transport Priority To The Development Of Policy Research

Urban public transportation has been a long-standing social issue in urban development throughout the world. At a period of history featuring industrialization, mechanization and urbanization, China, the most populous country in the world, is now faced with a series of challenges such as energy shortage, environmental degradation, air pollution aggravation and urban traffic congestion, etc. Therefore, it is all the more important to adopt an urban traffic developmental pattern that is friendly to the environment and could meet the ever-growing mechanization needs of the people as well. This paper proposes that to develop public transportation and to implement the policy of giving priority to public transportation are not only the basic way to solve the urban transport problem but also essential measures to carry out the national strategies of sustainable development, for instance, energy conservation and carbon emission reduction, environmental protection, etc.The policy of giving priority to public transportation development, the public-transportation-first policy for short, was first put in practice in 1960s, Paris, France, thereupon adopted by Britain, Germany and other developed countries in the West. As a public management policy that could effectively solve the urban traffic congestion problem, this policy takes precedence in people's livelihood and presents its social value as ensuring economical as well as convenient travel of the city residents.Urban public transportation, among the important supporting facilities of a city, falls into the category of government's utility service. With the process of urbanization, an advanced and free-flowing transportation has become an important assessment criterion of the government's administrative level. As matters stand, the reasons behind the transportation problem are quite complicated, namely highway development, traffic control and city layout, etc. But the key problem lies in the city management. The traffic jam happens more in the train of thought than on the road of vehicles. By analyzing the mature urban transportation management pattern abroad, we have discovered that the city development pattern and highway construction are in urgent need of improvement and at the same time the growth rate of urban public transportation falls short of the economic development of the society. The public-transportation-first policy is a fresh idea of the modern transport development but not a brand-new one at all. The academic circles home and abroad have proposed to prioritize the development of public transportation since a long time ago. The experience abroad has further proved that it is an effective way to ease urban traffic congestion.This paper proposes that the implementation of the public-transport-first policy is a systemic project integrating the city residents' participation, the government's support, the transportation measures' execution and other factors. A smooth, speedy and convenient urban public transport system is a symbol of actualization of the policy objectives. In line with the current situation of Wuxi city's public transportation, this paper elaborates on the key elements in the execution of the public-transport-first policy, such as environmental optimization, policy objectives, preferential measures, supervision and insurance, etc. and makes rational proposals and suggestions accordingly.